Nations

Nations are the lifeblood of the world, they are what bring together people, industry and culture, uniting those with a like mind into a group that protects each other from outside threats. Without nations, the world would crumble into chaos, yet each nation is as unique as the races that reside within them. These difference can often cause strife, as well as peace, causing the world to constantly shift around ever changing alliances and wars.

Below is a look into the many Nations that have laid claim to land across Tephra. Nations with stars next to their name currently have playable nationalities in our game. It is also important to note that Evangless is the melting pot of Tephra, and as of such has been a large focus for many of our adventures and expansions (although expansion material for the other nations is quickly being put into development).

Evangless is the most centralized nation on the continent of Rilausia, a nation that has quickly grown and become the power in the area. Though it’s not quite the largest nation in terms of land size, it is the most heavily populated and has the largest infrastructure. Evangless’s economy has boomed in recent years, with trains, new industrial cities, and airships claiming the skies. Evangless suffered an intense civil war about six years ago, but the war has calmed quickly and people are rebuilding. Nonetheless, the veterans of the war are still adjusting, with airship pirates, looting, and bandit rulers being common. Though the Evanglessian government seems strong, pocket city-states are constantly popping up, often headed by crazed inventors or nobles trying to take rule into their own hands.Evangless is an empire of innovation. It was founded by an inventor, Velkya Luthricien, who created Evangless’s two major cities – Varsylis and Aldamiir. She formed a strong base for Evangless to grown on. During the Loveless Wars, Evangless’s superior artillery easily conquered Tharmuris, and they then went on to conquer Siddeodru and the Hazardlands. Today, Evangless has grown to be quite the juggernaut in the world.

Technology has risen quickly in Evangless in the last few years. Evangless is one of the only nations that makes heavy use of hydrogen-filled airships, as they’ve pioneered sealed hydrogen technology, creating a unique hydrogen that doesn’t burn. Automatons are highly advanced in Evangless. During the civil war, the Royalists invented new steam-powered automatons that use aetheric steam engines and remote controls, then mass-produced them to stand as their armies. Aether has become a common fuel source, and people are creating resonators for a wide variety of other uses. While Paldorans still seem to have better air technology, Evangless is quickly catching up.

Dalvozzea is a nation of thick jungles and old ruins from the civilization that many claim are the angelic forebears of the farishtaa race. Whether this is true or not few can say with any certainty but it is a widely held belief by many. Where the jungle has been cleared stand the tall towers of the farishtaa and the earthen works of the elves, a symbolism that escapes few that visit the land. From the farishtaan preference of dichotomy of the colors black, white, and the precious metal silver, to the elves almost gaudy displays of bright warm colors, earthen construction, and flashy metals, Dalvozzea is a riot of colors on the national scale.

The climate is temperate and the landscape not an actual jungle, though most refer to it as such for the wild untamed spaces that dwell within her borders. Crater lakes feed small pools and streams that abound in rich minerals and the nation’s past time of flying patrols of ironbirds around their border comes from the graviton sphere load discovered in the crater lake between Siyesh and Dalvozzea. Thanks to the farishtaan nature for grand standing and the pilot’s hunger for glory the small load has lasted some time, but the material is running out and soon Dalvozzea may be forced to open trade with other nations to supplement their ironbird industry.

A nation of pride and community, be it elven or farishtaa, Dalvozzea places the greatest emphasis on her people first and foremost. Often viewed as hedonistic, this simple view of the nation belies the underlying truth: it takes a great deal of control to be as wild as they are.

The Laquai Empire was once one of the greatest and oldest empires on Rilausia, standing strong even against the onslaught of the Haudi Empire. For Centuries it was ruled be the, Asagnu, the royal line. However their royal advisor, a position long known as the sapience, began to dabble in bio-engineering (long before the science of it ever existed) and she was seen almost a magician. She created massive creatures that wandered the landscape and over time gained a huge following. Yet as she grew more powerful, the Asagnu began to fear her, and they banished her from the nation. This decision caused open revolt among her followers and eventually collapsed the nation into a civil war that would tear not only the country apart, but the landscape itself.

Eventually the factions dissolved into huge wandering caravans, the sapience holding the south and the Asagnu holding the north. Between them lay the great desert, a desert they had long held sway over with massive building project and raised roads, but that had disappeared during the war. The remains of almost the entire Laquai empire lay buried below the sands. Over time, even these two great caravans began to decay, slowly splitting into smaller grounps and simply irking out a living amongst the sands of their forgotten empire.

Around 190 years ago, an Izedan known as Scarred One was born. He was discovered deep in the desert and had born just minutes before his mother had died from exhaustion and thirst. As he grew, he founded a new religion known as the severing and was able to stabilize the region and create a truce between the many caravans that now roamed the nation. Over time he reforged these dying caravans into something new, he brought organization to them, established ruling guidelines, and more than anything made them proud to be Izedans.

From their ashes, the Izedans have become a proud, caring, and powerful nation whose traveling caravans have been called one of the most impressive feats of group organization in the world. Each caravan now acts as minor city, each with over ten thousand inhabitants. Each of their massive wagons are pulled by giant beasts of burden many time larger than an elephant, and contain all of the living and working space that the Izedan need. The Caravans will normally travel for several weeks at a time, then find a location to stay for 4-5 days so traders are able to rendezvous with them. When caravans reach the outskirts of Izeda, merchants will fan out to nearby towns, bartering off their unusual collections in exchange for food and other knick knacks they can trade elsewhere.

Paldorus as it is known to the common folk refers to the people of the nation, whether addressing the ruins of their homeland or the air nomads they have become. The Paldorans refer to themselves as New Paldorus, representing their rebirth after the Catastrophe and how far they’ve come. New Paldorus is a hard culture that despises the ‘weakness of culture and values that led to our downfall’, as quoted by the clergy of Infernal Jinzium.

New Paldorus claims that its turn to piracy for sustenance was prompted by the rest of Rilausia’s people refusal to succor them in their time of need and how they abandoned the front line of the conflict to Paldorus during the Hurricane Wars. In a sense their acts of piracy are reparations for war time damages, though few on the receiving end of their raids can be convinced of this point of view. At first New Paldorus raided on a strictly regulated basis, attacking known places of organized crime or abandoned hamlets. These locations began to dwindle and the fleet was forced to spread out, however, and the raids began to take a more vicious and piratical nature as older commanders passed away or were slain during actions and were replaced with new blood that hungered for the glory they missed during the Hurricane Wars.

Life in New Paldorus is strict and uncompromising. The average citizen has a task to perform and it must be performed. People are often groomed for their life’s work from childhood and taken straight into their profession at an early age. The good of the colony comes first, the nation second, and the individual last, as the clergy are wont to wax on in their sermons. While not a theocracy, the Infernal church has as much control in most colony ships as the military who command them, and the church has become an inseparable facet of New Paldorus.

The people of New Paldorus have mixed views of aether technology. Most see their current lifestlye as a step towards reclaiming their heritage, part of which is aether, and work towards cleaning the technology and take pride in seeing it put to use for the betterment of the colony. Others see it as the fatal flaw which saw them punished in the first place and shun it, though this faction is a minority growing smaller every year. For all the culture’s desire to return to their homeland – a value espoused by the clergy and military both – their piracy grows more and more prevalent in the culture and not many can say for sure whether Paldorus, new or old, will ever be the same again.

Suulrai is a small nation desperately hugging onto the western coastline of Rilausia. It sits just northwest of Evangless, not far from the destroyed gnomish realm of Siddeodru, and west of Arakrith, the free satyr monarchy. Suulrai is the youngest nation in Rilausia having been formed just over 70 years ago. The Suulrailis were a repressed people who fled their home continent in enormous junks, lived off the oceans for years, and eventually settled in modern-day Suulrai. Suulrai is largely tough mountains and dense jungles and used to be unsettled territory belonging to Siddeodru. When the Suulrailis landed, Evangless had just razed Siddeodru. The Suulrailis claimed it before Evangless had fully moved in and marked their new land, and Evangless has never fancied the harsh jungles of Suulrai to an extent that they would invade. The Suulrailis were lucky, if you can call it that. They got the land that nobody wanted.

Suulrai is the most technologically-backwards nation in Rilausia. Its economy is based off the Trust system, but the Trust puts very few resources into maintaining its branches in Suulrai. Most of the population survives on fishing and subsistence farming. Yet technology has not always been so unattainable for the Suulrailis. Suulrai had a technological revolution that nearly destroyed the nation, and today, most forms of advanced science are banned, if not by law, by public demand.

The fledgling nation is attempting to build a representative democracy, with its rebuilding efforts headed by a man called the Arbiter – a man who was torn apart by science and then rebuilt. He has led the ban against science, seeing mixed results. Across Suulrai, underground industries and scientists – factories hidden deep in the Suulraili jungles – are trafficking bootlegged technology and selling these illegal items to any household that can afford them.

Zelhost was formed as the southern branch of the Haudi Empire, with its capital, Khemli, being heralded the southern capital of the empire. Over the last century, Zelhost has risen in prominance and become one of the strongest nations in its own right. It’s largely become independent from Siyesh, and many people consider it to be its own nation now. Though Zelhost has many traits identify it as Haud, it truly stands as a distinct entity today.

Zelhost is ruled by Archduke Zimarati, a man who has gained a following so devoted that it borders on religious ferver. The position of Archduke has always been the ruler of the south, his dutchy extending across Khemli and being the single largest and most populated duchy in the entire Haudi Empire. Traditionally, the Archduke is wed to the Empress in the north; however, Zimarati declined the Empress’s invitation to attend to her in Siyesh. This political action had severe repercussions and truly cemented Zelhost’s independence from Siyesh. Unfortunately for Siyesh, there was no way the Empress could respond with force, as Zelhost has a signficantly larger military than Siyesh. Today, Archduke Zimarati rules over Zelhost with a bloody fist and a fiery passion, leading his people by the force of his personality and his powerful whims.

Zelhost is the most industrial nation in Tephra. Whole duchies consist of nothing but factories, and polution is rampant in much of Zelhost. Though the area was once known for its thick rivers, rich soil, and heavy floods, industry has largely taken over the nation. Industry has become so common that in many regions, food is actually manufactured using bio-engineering.

The dukes of Zelhost have altered their old ways and adopted a new system of rule. Instead of claiming duchies, they claim realms of economic influence, using what they call the guild economic system. Most of the dukes are now the leaders of economic guilds and control the commerce within those systems. Though the Trust is still a major influence in Zelhost, it doesn’t have the power that it has in most other major nations.